Applicator



Sept 12, 1950 A. R. EBBERTs 2,522,216

' APPLICATOR I Filed March 24, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 12, 1950 OFFICE 2,522,216 ArPuo i'ron Avery R. Ehberts, Los Angeles, Calif. Applicationli Iarchjbi, 1949, Serial No. 33,244

2 Claims. f (01. 128-153) This invention relates to ,medicatedlpads or medicament applicators, and more particularly to one for use between digits, such as the toes and fingers. A

The applicator ofthe presentinvention, although particularly useful for applying medicaments to the contiguous surfaces of adj acent toes, is not limited to thatuse, for, as will be se n, it can be used with the same efiicacy between" the fingers. To simplify thedisclosure of the present invention, however, the illustrated embodiment of the same has been shown and described as an applicator for use between the toes. When so used, the applicator of the present invention is particularlyuseful in the treatment of infections such as athletes foot and the like usually occurring between the toes. y 1

Other applicators have :been heretoforepro; posed for the treatment of infections scene's athlete's foot, but have not been adopted" to any great extent. These prior devices in most inv stances have been difficult to, applyand when applied were uncomfortable, either becausethey were easily displaced in use or'created pressure V on the toes when shoes were worn. r

This criticism is not pertinent to the applicator of the present invention, for it is easy to apply in position between the toes, and as it is, posi tioned solely between'the toes there are, no'por tions overlying surfacesof the toes which press upon the same when shoes areworn, with resultant discomfortto the user. The applicator,

furthermore, can be securely anchored in posi tion, and is not likely to become displaced use as were prior applicators.

The applicator of the present invention, in the broadest aspects thereof, comprises a body mem ber, preferably formedof an absorbent material,

for receiving a medicament, and a strip of adhesive plaster of a length substantially greater than the width of the body member transversely extending across and secured to the medial portion of the body member. The opposite endpor l tions of the strip, as they extend beyond the; 45, opposite edges ofthe body member, form 'anchor -Z ing tabs for holding the body member in position,

In use, the body member is folded u olruseu' to form a pair of'pads, the "oppositely facing surfaces of which, when the folded body member is placed between adjacent toes, engage the contiguous surfaces of the same. The folder bow' portion of the bodymemb'er engages the surface of the foot lying in the reg'ion of the creas between the toes and very effectively maintains the medicament against this surface.

, narily does not tightly press against this portion of' the foot. Thewidth of the strip of adhesive plaster is reduced throughout the extent of the same. secured to th body member to reduce the bull: oi the material disposed between the toes when the applicator is in use. As the body member itself is preferably formed of relatively thin material, there is thus no large mass of material between the .toes to cause discomfort to the patient.

To'further increase the efficacy of the applicator, the body memberis formed at the one edge thereof. with a laterally extending wing or ear portion provided at. its. opposite ends with inwardly extending slits aligned with and forming substantially,continuations of the adjacent edge of the body member. This wing or .ear

portion, when the body member is folded along.

Other features andadvantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following, description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 3 is a view'of the underside ofa foot showing the applicatorpf the present invention in position between adjacent toes of the foot.

,Thefapplicator of the present invention, re-

ferring, now to the drawing, comprises asterile body inember In of some suitable absorbent material such as felt or similar fabric. The body member is somewhat oval in. plan, with the oppo-' sitely extending end portions progressively decreasing 'in'width. If desired, the body member can be medicated during the manufacture of the applicator by impregnating the absorbent mate- Figure 1 is an elevational view of the applirial of the body member with a suitable medicament. To preserve the sterility of the member I!) as well as the medicament carried thereby the applicator would be sold in a sealed container as are conventional bandages today.

The body member is formed at the one side thereof with a small wing or ear portion I I having at the opposite ends thereof, slits l2 extending inwardly thereof but terminating short of each other-"toform a relatively narrow integral connecting element &3. The slits 12, it will be noted, form substantial continuations of the defining edges of the body member, that is, the slits l2 are substantially in alignment with the defining edges of the body member contiguous to the wing or car portion 1 I.

Although the body member might be anchored in position between the toes by any means de-' sired, it is now preferred to anchor the body member in position by a strip of adhesive plaster M of a length substantially greaterthan the width of the. body member I0.- The strip l4 extends transversely across the medial portion of the body member and is secured thereto by the adhesive material carried by the strip. The. oppositely extending end portions of, thestrip I 4 form anchoring tabs 15 adapted to adhesively en a e the foot and thus anchor ,the bodymember in position between the toes.

- To preserve, the adhesive surface of the anchoring tabs, protecting bands It of a gauze material are carried by the adhesive surface ofeach 'tab. Tofacilitate removal of the gauzefrom the ad" hesiye surface. the bands are provided with laterally. extending tab elements ll which can be grasped. between the fingers. when it is desired to strip. the protecting band from theadhesiv e surf-1 face of the anchoring tabs. In the use of the applicator of the present in vention, the body member lfl is folded upon itself, as best illustrated in Figure 2, to form a pair of pads integrally joined together at their. roots by abridge orbow element comprising the medial portion of thebody member across which the strip ofadhesive plaster is secured. After the body member-has been folded u pon itself to form the pads just described, the applicator is inserted between the toes with the strip of adhesive plaster facing outwardly, after which. the protecting bands of gauze can be stripped from the, anchor-v ing tabs to allow the anchoring tabs to be adhesively secured tov the instep and ball portions of the foot, respectively. This, as should now be understood, will securely anchor the applicator in position between the toes with the oppositely facing surfaces of the pads. engaging the contiguous surfaces of the adjacent toes between which the applicator ismounted or positioned.

To increase the comfort of the user, the strip of adhesive plaster is considerably reduced throughout the extent or portion secured to the body member to thus decrease the bulk or mass which lies between the. toes when the applicator is in use. The body member is preferably formed of arelatively thin fabric, so that it creates no annoying bulk between the toes.

Thewing or ear portion H, is. clearly seen in Figure 3, forms a small relatively fiat pad extendingfoutwardly of the bow of the folded body member after the same is folded upon itselfand disposed between the adjacenttoes to be treated.

The small pad. formed by the .ear or wingportion ll extends rearwardly of the bodymember and thus engages the surface of the ballof the foot contiguous to the crease between the toes, an

area of the foot which has been dimcult to treat by previously proposed applicators.

As the body member ID, after it has been folded and positioned between the toes to be treated, does not overlie the top surfaces of the toes, it cannot be pressed upon the toes when a shoe is worn on the foot being treated. The anchoring tabs formed by opposite end portions of the strip I 4 of adhesive plaster, as they are engaged with portions of the foot notordinarily compressed by a shoe in use, are not likely to become displaced or create pressure areas on the foot which might become uncomfortable to a patient.

If desired, any salve or other medicament, in addition to the medicament impregnating the body member, can be applied to the surface of thesame which in use will engage the areas of I the toes being treated. As the pads formed by the folded body member are not likely to become displaced in use, the medicament will thus be effectively held against thesurfaces of the toes being treated.

It should be seen now that the applicator of the present invention is not limited to. the treatment of infections of the toes, and that it could beflused for applying medicaments to the contiguous surfaces of adjacent fingers. If intended to belusled between the fingers, the body member obviously would be longer-in length so as to cover thelonger area of the fingers to be treated. The applicator could be used between theiingers and anchored in position as has just been explained, with'additional bandages being applied circumferentially of each of the adjacent fingers to more securely anchor the applicatorin place between thesame and to hold the pads in engagement with the contiguous surfaces of the fin ers! Although the now preferred embodiment of the presentinvention has been shown and described herein, it is to. be understood that the present invention is not to be limited thereto, for it is susceptible'to changes in form and detail within the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. Anapplicator of the type. described, comprising f a, body member of absorbent material for receiving a medicament; an ear integrally joined with said bodyflmember at the one side thereof; said ear beingfformed with a pair of oppositely extending slits alignment with the defining edge of s aid body. member; and a strip ,ofadhesive plaster of a length substantially greater than the width of said body member transversely extending .-across and seeuredto the medial portion of said body member and ear, said .body member being adapted to be folded into a substantially U-shaped member for. insertion. between adjacent toes, the legs of said U-shaped member orming pads engaging the opposite surfaces of said toes, said earforming a small, relatively flat pad for engaging the area of the ball of the foot contiguous to the crease between the toes, the ex-- tremities of said strip forming anchoring tabs for holding said applicator on the foot against displacement.

2. An applicator of, the type described, comprising: anelongate, substantially oval-shaped body.member ofabsorbent material for receiving a medicament; a relatively small, laterally extending wing integrally formed with said body member intermediate the ends thereof, said wing being partially incised at the opposite ends thereof with the incisions extending in substantial a1ign-.

5 ment with the adjacent edgeot said body member; and a strip of adhesive plaster of a length substantially greater than the width of said body member and laterally extending wing transversely extending across and secured to the medial portions of said body member and wing, said body member being adapted to be folded along a line substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of said strip, whereby said folded body member forms a pair of pads for insertion between adjacent toes with the oppositely facing surfaces of said pads engaging the adjacent surfaces of said toes; said laterally extending wing forming a small, relatively flat pad engaging the surface of the ball of the foot contiguous to the crease 15 1,806,998

6 between thetces; the opposite end portions of said strip forming adhesive anchoring tabs engaging the instep and ball portions of the foot, respectively, to hold the applicator against displacement.

AVERY R. EBBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Blake Oct. 4, 1927 Kauffman May 26, 1931 Number 

